Chapter 1334: The Next Step Although the group had been busy chatting, swapping stories, and setting up plans for the newcomers who had recently arrived, it was time for another, more serious part of the evening to begin. Crowley, Vlad, Park, and several of the core members of the Howlers had gathered at the Wolf’s Pool Club. Everyone present had a role more significant than just being a member. If you had any kind of authority or leadership within the Howlers, you were here. Each of them already knew the truth about Gary and the others, the fact that they weren’t exactly Altered. They were Werewolves. But honestly, it didn’t seem to bother anyone much. As far as they were concerned, there wasn’t a huge difference between Altered and Werewolves. At least, not to them. Still, this meeting was different. This time, every single word spoken mattered. It was vital they listened closely. Kai stepped out and checked the hallway one last time, making absolutely sure everyone else had truly left. He even waited a solid thirty minutes before finally speaking. His cautious behavior seemed unusual, but everyone in the room knew that if Kai was acting like this, there had to be a good reason. “Alright,” Kai said, his voice steady and serious. “I need everyone to listen carefully. What we decide now affects everything going forward. We don’t have the luxury of just sitting around and waiting.” He looked around at the group, locking eyes with each person. “And it’s not because of the reason you’re all thinking. When Midwak was captured by the other pack... he told them everything. He told them what happens to us on the night of the full moon.” The heartbeat of several members suddenly grew louder, thudding hard in their chests. Others looked around in confusion, clearly unaware of what occurred during the full moon. Kai explained. “Because of our specific circumstances, none of the Werewolves in the Howler pack are able to transform or access their powers during a full moon. We lose everything, our strength, our abilities. And this only affects us. The Lupus pack? They have no such restriction. With them knowing this now, there’s no doubt in my mind... they’ll launch an attack in a week and a half, right on the night of the full moon.” Now everyone fully understood the gravity of the situation. Even those who didn’t know before, could see how devastating this weakness was. The strength of the Howlers, what had allowed them to stand toe-to-toe with Kings, was rooted in Gary and the others. In their power. Sure, Slough still had powerful Altered fighters. But they weren’t enough to survive an all-out assault from Lupus. Not without the Werewolves at full strength. “So... what are our options, really?” Austin asked. “I’m sure you’ve already run through them. We’re obviously not going to just sit back and wait for death.” Kai nodded. “My original thought was simple, attack first,” he said. “We have a large portion of the Howlers in one of the nearby cities. A secret force the Lupus pack doesn’t know about. I thought we could utilize them. Hit Lupus before they have the chance to come after us.” He sighed. “But the vampires... they’ve always been the wild card. If we attack Lupus, how do we protect ourselves from the vampires at the same time? Still, it felt like a risk we’d have to take.” Kai then leaned forward, elbows on the table. “The only other idea I had was trying to make a deal with the vampires. Get them to protect us. But if they knew about our weakness... I doubt they’d offer anything. And now that we’ve learned about the Dark Guild? I don’t think that’s even an option anymore. No matter how strong we are, we can’t go up against Lupus and the Dark Guild.” The room went quiet. Everyone was deep in thought. The situation was spiraling. They had too many potential enemies and only one group, Lupus, that was clearly coming for them. But how could they possibly handle it? “If we can’t trust the vampires to help,” one voice asked, “and we can’t rely on them to take out the Dark Guild or support us against Lupus... what about the others? The Bree Family? White Rose?” Kai shook his head almost instantly. “The Bree Family has nothing to gain. If anything, it’s better for them to stay out of it and let us and Lupus fight it out. And White Rose? They’re drowning in their own problems. Plus, Lupus isn’t a criminal to them. They’d never step in.” Their options were thinning fast. More and more, it seemed like the only real play was to talk to the vampires... somehow arrange a deal without letting them discover their weakness. Maybe convince them to strike the Dark Guild so the Howlers could move on Lupus while the opportunity lasted. “There’s also Xin,” Tom said. “She’s a Luna Wolf now, right? Doesn’t that come with new advantages?” He looked toward her. “From what you guys told us, Ylva from the Lupus pack was insanely strong. But you and Xin together, Luna and Alpha, there’s real power in that. You said you were able to fight Lupus head-on before... and now with the Luna bond, you might have even more strength.” Tom’s voice grew more confident as he continued. “You could split the roles. Xin and the secret force could go after the Dark Guild. If we really want to handle this ourselves and not rely on anyone else, that’s our best bet.” Gary hadn’t even chosen a class for Xin yet. It was a power boost they hadn’t factored into their plans, but after how everything had gone so far, it was definitely worth considering. “We’ve handled things on our own before,” Kai said, thinking it through. “So... I guess we just need to find out what Xin can really do.” Then, unexpectedly, Gary spoke up. “There is one more option,” he said, interrupting the room’s thoughts. Everyone turned to him. “Instead of talking to the vampires... or the other Kings... why don’t we just talk to Lupus?” *** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below: Instagram: @jksmanga *Patreon: *patreon.com/jksmanga Stay updated on My Vampire System, My Werewolf System, and future stories. You’ll hear about them first on these platforms, and if I’m not too swamped, I usually respond!